These observations — where I look at Real Madrid’s history, its players on loan, Castilla, tactical tidbits, and other relevant thoughts sbobet มือ ถือ -- are now a regular weekly thing. All previous editions can be found here.Somewhere in-between Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo and their 2-2 draw against Numancia back in January, Real Madrid held a closed-door meeting for 50 minutes — no press, no leaks, just a candid discussion.

They had just come off of a tactical disintegration in Balaidos. The already defensively-frail Marcelo was overburdened and steamrolled — Casemiro, Kroos, and Isco watching on in horror as the team’s lack of defensive coverage was apparent. Kroos, for what it’s worth, had a specific assignment, but there was a clear lack of undefined roles that night — a problem all too recurring during this season of torment. The little good sprinkled throughout that game, namely Gareth Bale reigning the offense while doing solid off-ball work, and Luka Modric remaining one of the team’s constants in whatever he’s asked to do (even if his energy should be conserved for sbobet มือ ถือ other important team-symphonizing work), was understandably pushed aside to address the real problems of the team.

They immediately followed that meeting with a 2-2 draw against Numancia — an annoying blip that had its own problems. The first real test post-meeting for the A-team was the following match against Villarreal. The first half was respectable. The defense looked more organized and less gung-ho, and Real Madrid were unlucky not to score. But at half-time, there was a sense of danger creeping in. The longer the game went scoreless, the more the pressure was going to build, the more turbulent Real Madrid’s scheme would become, desperation would kick in, and sound-positioning would be thrown out the window. And, that’s exactly what happened. The Bernabeu grew restless, old habits creeped in, and the pressure cut through the players, as Villarreal cut through Real Madrid accordingly. That goal Zidane’s men conceded that day — it’s the same goal they concede perpetually this season.

50-minute meeting be damned. Fast forward almost a month, and the team’s problems still skulk over them like a dark, relentless cloud. “If we knew that we would have fixed it already,” was one of Sergio Ramos’s candid quotes after a late collapse against Levante. It’s not that the closed-door meeting was a near-hour discussion without any solutions to fix; it’s that the problems are so numerous it’s hard to sharpen the focus on just that one problem. If one thing was wrong, it would’ve been amended already.​​​ sbobet มือ ถือ